Newsletter 09-18-12

New Fall Produce, Farmer Feature, and Kids Yoga at the Market! 

Changing of the Seasons Brings Us New Bounties!

As the fall season arrives, not only do we have cooler weather and cozy sweaters to look forward to (hopefully!), but we also look forward to new seasonal fruits and veggies on farmers' tables. Atkins Nursery and Fruita del Sol will have delicious organic apples in very soon. They've also got beautiful pomegranates at prices you just can't match at the supermarket! Gaytan Family Farms has a short window of yummy fresh berries in from their growing fields in Santa Maria. This past week our friend Jeronimo from Gaytan completely sold out of blackberries and raspberries so come and get them while they last! 

Get to Know Menos Farms

Recently we headed to the city of Riverside to visit organic farmers, Manuel and Lupe Flores, owners and operators of Menos Farms. Lupe and Manuel grow on a beautiful 4 acre property in a residential area of Riverside with the San Bernardino mountains providing a magnificent backdrop to their rows of organic veggies. 

Menos Farms has been in operation for 4 years and they grow a variety of vegetables including: tomatoes, peppers, several varieties of kale and lettuces, herbs, corn, beets, carrots, strawberries, squash, cucumbers, onions, and so much more. They are certified organic and take great care and pride in choosing only the best organic seeds and starts to grow their delicious fresh food. 

When we asked Manuel and Lupe what influenced them to grow organically, they said health was at the forefront of their minds. They regularly listen to a nutritionist who airs a local program on Spanish radio and took her advice to heart on the benefits of eating a chemical-free, vegetable rich diet. They started juicing their freshly grown fruits and veggies for breakfast each morning and Manuel lost a whopping 20lbs from his new found commitment to healthy eating! They even have all four of their kids drinking some of their favorite juice recipes like: beets, black kale, celery, and pineapple. 

Menos Farms is committed to providing you with fresh and natural produce to help you maintain (or start!) your healthy eating habits just as they do. Trust us, with the planting, picking, and weeding they do by hand each week--there's definitely something to that fresh food to give them so much energy! 

After walking the fields with Lupe and Manuel and picking a few of our own fresh cherry tomatoes to take home with us, we asked them why you--our loyal Newport Beach shoppers, should choose to buy from them. Lupe said, "We grow organic food for health." Enough said! 

Be sure to stop by the market this Sunday to see what yummy fresh produce Menos Farms will have to help support our own healthy eating  habits!

Chef 2 Farmer Relaunches the Market

We've got a brand new partnership cooking and so much fun stuff on the way for you! You may have visited our delicious cooking demos the past few months and now we've got an even bigger chef to farmer connection just for you! We're working with Le Pain Quotidien at Fashion Island to relaunch the market with brand new vendors, cooking demos, fresh farmers' market recipes, and lots of yummy freebies (cooking classes, anyone?) to offer you the best farmers' market experience and products! Stay tuned for more news coming your way soon and be on the look out for our flyers and coupons! We hope you stick with us, as we're always listening to your feedback and doing our very best to bring you top quality services and products to help you live a local and healthy farmers' market lifestyle! 

Storytelling Yoga for Kids This Sunday! 

This Sunday we'll once again welcome our health and wellness experts to have a litte farm to fitness fun with us! This time we've got a special treat for kids and we'll have the Mindful Octopus from Laguna Beach out to offer a free storytelling yoga class. Mindful Octopus is a storytelling yoga program for kids that plants the seeds for health, imagination, and mindfulness through story, yoga and art, while most importantly, having fun!

This complimentary class is offered generously onsite at the farmers' market by Mindful Octopus founder Sam, and will be scheduled for 9:30am-10am. Space is limited so please sign up your child here under Newport Beach Farmers' Market and Sunday on the drop down boxes. Kids ages 3-9 will have the most fun! All supplies included, please arrive by 9:20am to get started! Parents, feel free to shop while kids participate. 

See you at the market this Sunday!
-Newport Beach Certified Farmers' Market Staff
newportbeachFM@gmail.com

Newsletter 08-24-12

Beat the Heat with Fresh Summer Produce

Get to Know Sweet Tree Farms

What's better than a delicious ripe nectarine on a warm summer day? Or, how about a peach, pluot, or plum?! Sweet Tree Farms has it all and hand selects each piece of organic stone fruit to ensure the freshest and best quality. 

Our newest volunteer, Katy Storch (who lucky for us, happens to be a journalist in training at the Orange County Register), recently got the inside scoop from Sweet Tree Farms seller, Nick Lopez, about his family's farm and what makes their produce so sweet! 

Sweet Tree Farms is located in Dinuba (30 miles southeast of Fresno) and started by former P.E. teacher Annie Florendo (Nick's cousin). It all began in 2002, with organic certification following in 2007. Annie grew up in a farming family and community in Dinuba. Her grandfather had a farm and now her sister has her own farm too. We hear all 18 grandchildren have in some way been involved with farming! Sweet Tree Farms is almost 40 acres of stone fruit orchards and grape vineyards for summertime and citrus, pomegranate, and persimmon for winter.  

Nick, who is known as Mr. Lopez during the school year in his position as a 4th grade teacher, has been selling at farmers' markets for five years. Nick says Sweet Trees' products are so delicious because of the careful planning that goes into farming. Before planting, they taste test different varieties to ensure the amazing flavor that will keep you coming back. Also, everything is hand picked from the farm, then it goes directly into the back of the truck to head off to the farmers' market. Nothing is cold stored.

On why you should shop with Sweet Tree Farms each week, Nick said, "Every week we try to guarantee produce is fresh. We want to provide the produce for the weekly shopper who wants to enjoy fruit all week long, not just that day. We try to make sure the fruit we sell is firm, and thereby cater to the weekly shopper. We do a color pick to ensure just the right amount of ripeness. Customers trust us and come back each week to ask us what is good. If our peaches aren't great one week, I'm going to be honest and let them know. Customers are getting honesty as well." 

You can look forward to the emerald beaut plum from Sweet Tree Farms very soon at the market. This is a green plum, similar to a pluot, but very sweet! Give the emerald beaut a taste and you won't be disappointed!

Bzzz! Honey is Back! 

We are so delighted to announce a brand new farmer to the market and the reintroduction of local delicious honey! Max's Honey House is from Lake Elsinore, CA and Max, the beekeeper himself, will be joining us starting this Sunday.

Look forward to a variety of local honey products including: raw honey, flavored honey, honey stix, honeycomb, and bee pollen. Autumn is just around the corner so it's a good time to give local honey a try to help with those changing-of-the-seasons allergies. Come on by to welcome Max and don't forget to ask him about his prized bees!

Health and Wellness Day is Here! 

We're teaming up with Living Fit OC and Curl Fitness to bring you a day of fun and fitness at the farmers' market the last Sunday of each month. Each Health and Wellness Day will offer you fun fitness and cooking tips as well as the opportunity to get moving and try something new! For the upcoming months we will offer a schedule of chats with wellness coaches, cooking demonstrations, yoga classes, and whole food scavenger hunts for kids. 

Help Us Bring Farmers to Newport Beach

Did you know we're non-profit run? Sprouts of Promise Foundation  runs four certified farmers' markets, including our SoCo Farmers' Market in Costa Mesa. We have a very small staff of dedicated community members and volunteers, committed to bringing you fresh and healthy food each week. Many times we're asked, "Why is Newport Beach Farmers' Market so small? Why don't you add more farmers?" We are working on it and we could do even more with your help! Our farmers are small local family farms that almost exclusively sell at farmers' markets to earn a living. This means we need you, our wonderful local shoppers, each and every week to keep our farmers at the market. We recently lost two farmers which really hurts all the vendors at the market. If you'd like to help us recruit more farmers to grow the market, please choose to donate today. We're a thrifty and creative bunch so a little money goes a long way. :)  DONATE

We'll see you this Sunday 9am-1pm for farmers' market style fitness and farm fresh food! 

-NBFM Staff

Newsletter 07-20-12

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

Get to Know Gaytan Family Farm 

We're sure you've stumbled upon this smiling face at the Farmers' Market on Sundays, but just in case you haven't, please meet Jeronimo from Gaytan Family Farm! Jeronimo brings us delicious amazing fresh produce every week from Gaytan Family Farm located in Mira Loma, California.    

Recently we chatted with Maricela Gaytan, the eldest Gaytan Family sibling and operator of Gaytan Family Farm. Maricela was nice enough to also translate for her mother, Edelmira Gaytan, to tell us a about the history of their farm and more about their fresh and tasty fruits and veggies.  

Gaytan Family Farm was started in 2001 by Maricela's parents, Albertano and Edelmira Gaytan. Albertano worked as a farmworker for 14 years prior to establishing his own family farm. Edelmira said they were inspired to run a farm because both she and her husband grew up farming to feed their families and surrounding community. She also said, "Farming is something the whole family can be a part of. It helps everyone." 

Gaytan Family Farm's home base is in Mira Loma where they grow most of their herbs including: papalo, espazote, basil, cilantro, and parsley. They also grow crops of fresh fruits and veggies in Chino (green beans, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, cantaloupe, and watermelon), in Santa Maria (broccoli, celery, brussel sprouts, lettuce, carrots, and artichokes), and in Aguana (garlic, potatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe).

We asked Maricela and Edelmira what makes their farm so special and why you should shop with them. "Our family offers the best quality and great service." Now, if you've had their strawberries and artichokes, you definitely know the quality is superb and if you've chatted with our friend Jeronimo, you know he offers you excellent service! 

Come August you can look forward to blueberries and raspberries from Gaytan's fields in Santa Maria. But remember, the best and freshest produce is seasonal (everything you'll find at our Newport Beach Certified Farmers' Market!) so check back with us every Sunday to find out what's new and what's on it's way! 

Chef 2 Farmer 2 You! 

This month we're kicking off a brand new initiative to connect you further with our farmers and get some bright and yummy ideas on what to do with all that beautiful fresh produce! We've ushered local chefs into our farm to fork fold and they will work with our certified farmers to showcase our seasonal produce and give you professional culinary tips on how to recreate the magic in your own kitchen back at home. 

This Sunday at the market we welcome Chef Peter Lee from Orange County's own local Chef Pete's Catering Company. 

Chef Pete has an extraordinary culinary background that includes growing up in the family restaurant business in Los Angeles, education and training from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, executive chef of several Southern California restaurants, several years in Hawaii to perfect regional cuisine, and now serving his own exquisite creative cooking through his catering company. 


Chef Pete will work with Atkins Nursery and Fruita del Sol Organic Farm this Sunday. The magic starts around 10:30am so come ready to learn, have fun, and see what's cookin' at the Newport Beach Farmers' Market! 

If you know a local chef or maybe you're the culinary extraordinaire that focuses on healthy meals and locally sourced produce, please get in touch if you'd like to work with our farmers for our community.

New Locally Made Fresh Organic Jams

They've got peach, they've got plum, they've got strawberry--oh boy, bread was never so happy to get stuck with a jam like this! Mr Argento's Empanadas are now selling delicious homemade organic jams. Stop by this Sunday and ask Debbie for a fresh sample! 

What's On Your Mind? 

As a community-minded and small non-profit run Farmers' Market, we always welcome feedback from the local community.  If you have a great idea you'd like to share with us, questions about our produce and products, or maybe you want to volunteer your time to help us continue to grow the market, let's talk! Please see us at the Information Booth (that big red one in the middle with recipes and our weekly fresh produce basket raffle!) every Sunday or send us an email. 

We'll see you this Sunday at the market for fresh local food, live music, and in case you'd like a strawberry on your cheek--we've got face painting! 

Newsletter 06-21-12

Summer is Here - Newport Beach Farmers' Market is Blooming! 

Missing something pretty and bright for your kitchen table? 

We worked hard to find a new local flower grower - and we finally did it! Starting this Sunday, Vargas Flowers from Fallbrook will be selling gorgeous bouquets at great prices.  Come and pick up a lovely bouquet to brighten someone's day, or better yet, treat yourself to a little sunshine and you're guaranteed to smile! 

And, Farmer Was His Name--O! 

What do you get when you combine tic-tac-toe, BINGO, fresh local food, and farmers? Our brand new farmers' market game, of course! Visit us at the Info Booth Sunday and we'll get you hooked up with a Buy 3 and Win! game card so you can play along, win Farmers' Market Bucks, and get delicious new cooking tips. 

Sproutin' Up a Healthy Meal? 

Did you know sprouts have excellent nutritional value to keep your body happy and healthy? Sunflower sprouts like these in this yummy Farmers' Market Sunflower Sprout Salad from Around the World Herbs, are not only tasty but offer the protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy diet. The sprouting process actually kicks up the vitamin levels in many legumes, seeds, and grains and because sprouts are a living food, you're sure to eat them at their top freshness! 

Come say hello to Heinz and Julie from Around the World Herbs this Sunday. Find out how hydroponic towers work to grow delicious and nutritious fresh food and walk away with fresh plants and new ideas to take home. 

Rarrrrrrrrr! Face Painting Returns!

Okay, don't be too alarmed, but we did want to warn you that you may see lions, and tigers, and bears (OH MY!) at the market this Sunday! Mary, our fabulous face painter is back this summer, so please bring the kiddos for a rarrring good time!!

See you Sunday, folks!  

Newsletter 05-18-12

Psst! Hey There! You, Yeah You! Have You Tried Our Cherries Yet?

Cherries are now in season and Erickson Farms is bringing us the goods!  Fresh cherries are picked daily from their orchards in Fresno. Cherry season is short so be sure to get to the Farmers' Market on Sundays to get your fill.

Ideas on what to do with all those cherries once you've snacked enough? Try canning. You can look forward to a little bit of summertime in a jar come this winter! 

Peaches, Apricots & Nectarines - This Week

The first peaches, apricots and nectarines make an appearance at the market this Sunday. Come taste summer!

Have You Ever Tried an Avocado Tamale? 

Our new food vendors, Gourmet Tamales & Just Crepen' By, have been a big hit the past two weeks! Come try a delicious tamale with a little bit of salsa verde to spice up your Sunday! Or how about a sweet or savory freshly prepared crepe? You can't go wrong either way. 

Hey Parents, Want to Teach Your Kids About Local Farms & Good Food?

Bring your children to the market and encourage them to use all their senses to learn about all the wonderful fresh fruits and veggies our farmers grow. Smell some cilantro from Gaytan Farms. Or how about tasting a cherimoya from Sahu Subtropical? Maybe pick up a basil plant from Atkins Nursery to grow at home? 

Encourage your kids to talk to our farmers and find out where their delicious food comes from and how it's grown. Check out this Farm 2 Table Adventure Guide, created by the Network for a Healthy California--Children's Power Play! Campaign, for more fun ways kids can take the lead at the market. 

Did You Know May is Bike Month? 

Bike to the farmers' market, show us your wheels (okay, or maybe just your helmet if you already locked up), and we'll enter you into a raffle to take home a bundle of amazing fresh produce! Remember to hook on your panniers or get that old basket in the garage tied on and set! 

See you Sunday!

Newsletter 04-27-12

We've Got Farm Fresh Goat Cheese & Eggs!

Daniel Drake

Drake Family Farms - a great local goat cheese maker from Ontario (just 34 miles from downtown LA) joins us this Sunday. Their chèvre is amazing with many flavors, including Lemon Pepper, Apricot & Honey, Basil, Herbs De Provence, French Herbs, Garlic & Onion, Jalapeño. Dr. Dan Drake (pictured) is a veterinarian, third generation goat farmer and true goat-lover. His farm is the only local goat dairy that produces cheese in Southern California. Drake Farms is "artisanal” cheese. What does this mean? Well, the American Cheese Society has stated that "artisinal" implies that a cheese is produced primarily by hand, produced in small batches, and uses as little mechanization as possible. All the cheese produced by Drake Farms is both artisanal and farmstead (meaning made on the farm, with milk exclusively from the farm’s own animals).

Gone Straw Farms, from Moreno Valley, also joins us with their fresh chicken and duck eggs!

Other new vendors include Just Crepen' By (fresh made sweet & savory crepes). Gourmet Tamales joining us next Sunday (May 6th). 

The Secrets Behind Store Bought Orange Juice
The package says "100% Fresh Juice". Think that means it is simply squeezed, packaged and sent to the store? Wrong! De-oxygenation and flavor packs are part of it. Read about the behind the scenes manufacturing process of store bought orange juice. But no worries, Bautista Creek Ranch from Hemet is now squeezing fresh orange juice at the market from their amazing local navel and valencia oranges. Come experience the taste of pure orange goodness. 

Ask a Health Coach!  

We will have three on hand this Sunday (April 29th) to answer all your questions. Graduates of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Certified as Holistic Health Coaches, these ladies will have information and healthy recipes that will help guide you in living the Farmers’ Market lifestyle. Learn how Carrie Wojciechowski, CHHC puts the Health into Coaching, how Michele Raffanello, CHHC lives a ComplEAT Life, and how Jessica Scott, CHHC has a Love Affair with Health.

Art Walk – (Every 2^nd Sunday of Month)

Local artists add their stunning, artistic displays on the second Sunday of every month for our “Buy Local” Art Walk. Local art, local food, be a Local! Next one is Sunday, May 13th.

See you on Sunday at the market!

Newsletter 03-22-12

Spring has arrived and we are putting together a lot of new and exciting things for the market to breathe some new life into it. Come out and show your support for your community farmers' market!

Peakaboo I see New!

Bautista Creek Farms

Romanesco Cauliflower
(Bautista Creek)

We welcome Bautista Creek Farms from Riverside County and their amazing locally grown crops, including living lettuce, tasty citrus (they will be squeezing fresh OJ!), rainbow colored carrots and the alien looking Romanesco cauliflower (see pic). Your kids will actually love it! Read why Shelby Barone’s (OC Family blog) kids did. Her daughter had almost eaten all of it by the time they got home! She tells you how to cook it as well. Additionally you can read all about the farm's history as it was highlighted in the LA Times (article). 

Brett & Tanya Wyatt (urban farmers)

B&T Farms

Our first urban farmer joins the market. Come meet Brett & Tanya Wyatt - a husband-wife farming duo from Hacienda Heights. They are growing a great array of herbs, veggies and oyster mushrooms. Here they are at their backyard farm preparing mushroom substrate. Their first mushroom production should be ready within the next couple weeks.  

Picket Lane Bakery

Picket Lane Bakery

Fresh baked breads are back! Ok, Picket Lane Bakery is not new to the market but they have on hiatus of the winter. We welcome back Irinne and the fresh baked breads and pies from her and her husband's local bakery. 

Spring Celebration - March 24th

Spring into Spring this weekend as we put on our Spring Celebration. We celebrate the new season with new farmers and new fresh fruits and veggies. We’ll have cooking & educational demos, face painters, kids activities, community booths and more. RSVP here and win some of our fabulous prizes!

Heirloom Carrots 
(Bautista Creek)

Spring Celebration Schedule:

10:30am (Story Time)

Marcie Taylor (@suburbanmama), blogger and book editor from OC FAMILY Magazine will host story time, games and book giveaways at our Kiddie Corner from 10:30am-noon.
11:00am (Cooking Demo)

Chef Raya Belna will host an in depth demo teaching you her raw vegan tricks of the trade for all things organic and farm fresh. 

12:00pm (Story Time)
Author Leslie Ryan will do a reading and signing of her children's book. One lucky attendee will receive a free autographed copy!

Art Walk - April 1st

12:00pm (Cooking Demo)
Anais Tangie will host a cooking demo, teaching how to highlight the fantastic freshness of Spring produce.


Newport Beach Art Walk - April 1st
Support all things local. Come check out what the local farmers have been growing and what the local artists have been painting. Sunday, April 1st at the market from 9am-1pm.

See you Sunday!
-Farmer Mark